AUDI A3 E-TRON PLUG-IN HYBRID CONCEPT UNVEILED IN SHANGHAI

By Gavin Conway | Apr 19, 2011at 03:34PM

Audi has taken the wraps off its plug-in hybrid concept at the Shanghai Motor Show. This handsome concept car also provides a very good clue as to what the next generation Audi A3, on sale from 2012, will look like.

And for those who think they’ve seen this story before, Audi was keen to point out that this latest concept has nothing to do with the A3 e-tron Sportback pure-electric car TheChargingPoint.com wrote about last week. That car is a running prototype based on the current generation A3 Sportback. A spokesman said that the two different concepts are simply “an exploration of different approaches.”

A 211hp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine supplemented by a 27hp electric motor powers the Shanghai concept car. The A3 e-tron’s lithium ion batteries are stored behind the rear seats and pack a charge capacity of 12kWh – they can be charged from a household socket.

That combination gives the e-tron enough punch to get to 62mph in just 6.8secs and on to a top speed of 144mph. Oddly, though, Audi isn’t prepared to quote mpg or CO2 figures for the e-tron concept.

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